The Rivals
by MissPopuri
Summary: Through Kol's eyes, Klaus should not have interfered with Elijah's love life.


It was normal for each of us to behave a certain way close to the full moon. Mikael and his family as the leaders in the village were responsible for making sure the rest of the people in the village were safe in the little huts and cottages. Rebekah, as the only female besides our mother, looked after our youngest brother, Henrik, while we, the older boys, went off by ourselves.

As the second oldest boy, Finn took the most kindly to their father's love of horses. The others—especially Niklaus—were exceptional riders, but neither Niklaus nor any of the others showed more aptitude for training large amounts of wild mustangs. His passion for life kept him mostly indoors on the night of the full moon.

We knew where Elijah went nearly every day, but it was even more obvious during the full moon. His infatuation for the young—and I must admit, beautiful—Tatia. A family that came to the new world from the old country for a variety of reasons, her father had wed her to a man which she married in the old world. Upon arrival to the village, her husband was dead—werewolf-inflicted wounds no less—and she had a child wrapped in her arms. The child itself is no older than Henrik perhaps younger, but it doesn't stop the villagers from questioning the circumstances for which Tatia came to the village alone.

There was this one special spot where I knew I would find Niklaus every time we were faced with werewolves. His grunts and strains could be heard as soon as I reached the path into the clearing where he stood batting sword against a tree. I couldn't help but laugh every time he slashed and hacked at his tree opponent. It made him even angrier that I would torment him so much.

"Are you going to be able to kill something this time, brother?"

My tone was facetious, but the expression on Niklaus' face as he looked up from his training said he was not interested in my joke. He replied, curtly, "If you don't mind, Kol, I'd rather not have you here today."

I put my hands, palms up, to mean him no harm. My big brother had his moods, but they were not usually the kind that made him ask for privacy. There has to be something up with him, and this clearing was my favorite spot, too. I asked, "What has gotten into you? You're a lot more edgy than normal."

Niklaus went back to hacking at the tree he was practicing on, the slashes cutting deep enough that the tree would probably have fallen over if it wasn't for the thickness in the tree trunk. I watched him curiously, trying to decide if I should go somewhere else instead. His mood really wasn't something to aspire to at the moment. My gut told me to leave, but I stayed until he spoke again, "What do you think of Tatia, Kol?"

The question took me off guard. I had no idea what he was referring to in that respect. With a shrug of my shoulders, I replied, "She's a smart and clever girl, but I would never encroach upon Elijah's favorite."

Finally throwing his sword on the ground, Niklaus scoffed and sat down against the tree trunk. I moved around to the side of the tree and did the same. He turned his head slightly and said, "Tatia may be smart and clever, but Elijah doesn't show interest like that."

"How would you know?"

Even before the last word exited my mouth, Niklaus flashed a piece of paper in front of my face. He pulled it from his pocket, and I skimmed its contents. It was a letter addressed to Elijah from the aforementioned Tatia. A fluid and open hand, her penmanship was exquisite. I looked up at my brother with confusion and near disgust.

Niklaus rolled his eyes at me and explained, "I took this letter from underneath Elijah's pillow this morning." He appeared proud of himself.

"What are you trying to prove here, brother?"

A grin formed at the corners of Niklaus' face, he was plotting another wicked scheme. I shook my head at him. He put the letter away, threw back his hands and pushed himself up off the ground. Dusting himself off, he nonchalantly shrugged, "Fine, you don't have to join me in fighting for Tatia."

I looked up at my brother, shielded my eyes from the sunlight pouring through the opening in the trees, and shook my head again. I scoffed, "Why couldn't you just find someone who doesn't obviously have feelings for your brother?"

"Oh, come now," he laughed, "where's the fun in that?"

Before I could say another word, he was heading out to challenge our brother. If I ever found someone like Tatia, I would sure as hell not let them anywhere near Niklaus.

It would probably be safer to avoid her completely.


End file.
